This skill, while not particularly powerful—especially against a single target—was instantaneous, which made it perfect for burst damage.
"-249"
"-40"
"Damn! No crit!"
"Still 8 HP left!"
Just then, Jiang Bai's slow debuff wore off. Seizing the opportunity, he rolled to the side and narrowly dodged the Snow Wolf Lord's claw. As he got up, he fired an [Aimed Shot].
"-372"
"-40"
"17"
"736 HP left! If I get lucky with a crit, that'll be it!"
At this final stage, taking down the boss quickly was the top priority. Jiang Bai decided to stop dodging and took a direct hit from the Snow Wolf Lord, buying himself time for one more basic attack.
"-311"
"-40"
"Only 480 HP left!"
Finally, he saw a glimmer of hope for victory—though that last hit had come at the cost of his own health.
Just as his [Aimed Shot] went off, the Snow Wolf Lord activated its fourth skill, [Savage Bite], along with [Frenzied Charge], tearing 280 HP from Jiang Bai in one brutal combo.
Now, Jiang Bai had only 177 HP remaining!
At this point, he knew he couldn't afford another hit. He stowed away his longbow and started kiting the boss in circles.
The Snow Wolf Lord's speed was about the same as his. As long as he kept running, it wouldn't be able to catch him, and [Frenzied Charge] was still on cooldown.
He was stalling—for the cooldown of [Multishot].
A basic attack wouldn't be enough to bring down the boss's remaining 480 HP. If he failed to finish it off in time, he'd be the one to die. That's why he needed his one and only instant-cast skill—[Multishot].
"6 seconds!"
"5 seconds!"
…
As Jiang Bai counted down, waiting for the decisive moment, three figures suddenly emerged from the forest, appearing on his right.
His heart sank. At this moment, his greatest fear was someone showing up to steal the kill—because this was when he was at his weakest.
"Hey bro, need a hand?"
A familiar voice rang out. Jiang Bai turned his head and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Oh, it's Xiaoyao Qingfeng and his team. We met once before, and I even saved them."
"Thank god…"
While kiting the boss, Jiang Bai shouted back, "Thanks, bro, but no need—I've got this."
"Come on, man. It's a boss fight—let's share the loot. We've got a healer with us, we can even give you some heals."
Jiang Bai immediately picked up on the change in tone.
A bad feeling began creeping into his gut. He forced himself to remain calm.
"No need, really—I can handle it," he replied.
"Hey man, don't mistake our kindness for something else. Our boss really wants to help you."
That soft, eerie voice belonged to Xiaoyao Xiaohei.
Jiang Bai's face darkened. Their true intentions were already obvious—they were here to steal the boss.
He turned to look at Xiaoyao Qingfeng.
Sure enough, the trio's expressions had turned complex, and their eyes gleamed with unhidden greed.
"Repaying kindness with betrayal?"
Jiang Bai's voice grew cold.
"Hey, no need to say it like that, bro," Xiaoyao Qingfeng took a step forward, his eyes never leaving the nearly-dead Snow Wolf. "We're just helping you out. I mean, it's a boss fight, and we're all brothers here. Shouldn't brothers help each other out, share the spoils?"
"Are you f**king serious right now? When did I ever become brothers with shameless trash like you? Talking about stealing the boss like it's some noble cause—where's your dignity?"
Jiang Bai was seething as he kept the boss running in circles, exchanging words while fuming inside.
Nothing disgusted him more than this kind of betrayal.
He knew full well that Xiaoyao Qingfeng was still wary of the Snow Wolf Lord's strength. Jiang Bai made it look easy, but that was only because his stats were high—the remaining 480 HP wasn't a big deal for him.
But for Xiaoyao Qingfeng and his team, it was another story. Qingfeng might not even be able to break through the wolf's defense. Their priest had no combat ability, and the only DPS class they had—Xiaoyao Xiaohei—would be lucky to do 30 damage in one go.
To them, 480 HP might as well be a mountain.
"Look man, whether you like it or not, today you're going to be one of us. Don't blame me for 'betraying kindness'—this is how things work when profit's involved."
"I'm the guild leader of Xiaoyao. I don't think I need to say much about our strength. Join us now, and I'll make you vice leader."
"Honestly, I could've waited for our whole guild to get here and taken the boss by force, but because you helped me before, I'm willing to split the loot with you. That's me showing respect."
"Get the f**k outta here! If you've got the guts, come take it!"
Jiang Bai felt nothing but revulsion for his past kindness. He couldn't believe he'd saved a pack of ingrates.
The world's a treacherous place, he realized. He'd been too softhearted.
"Learn your lesson, Jiang Bai."
Even while cursing them in his mind, he was just buying time.
Finally, [Multishot] came off cooldown. Jiang Bai pulled out a large potion with his right hand, planning to heal up and burst the boss down in two hits—then deal with Xiaoyao Qingfeng and his crew.
But just as he retrieved the potion, his body froze in place. He couldn't move at all.
A stun icon appeared above his head.
At that moment, Xiaoyao Xiaohei's cloaked figure emerged from the shadows beside him.
"Damn it, [Kidney Strike]!"
"You've been maliciously attacked by player 'Xiaoyao Xiaohei.' You are now in a self-defense state."
Jiang Bai cursed inside. [Kidney Strike] was a rogue's signature skill—when used in stealth, it stunned the target for 5 seconds. The stun would only break if the target took damage.
The move had no damage itself—it was pure crowd control.
Xiaoyao Xiaohei didn't follow up with any attacks. He simply stood at a distance, mocking Jiang Bai.
"Heh, should've taken the offer."
"This boss belongs to the Xiaoyao Guild now."
He didn't need to strike. Five seconds was more than enough for the Snow Wolf Lord to finish Jiang Bai off.
Sure enough, by the second second of the stun, the cold wind howled as the Snow Wolf Lord's massive, frost-covered claw came crashing down on Jiang Bai's head.
"Xiaoyao... I swear I'll wipe your whole damn guild off the map!"
In the silence of his unspoken fury, the Snow Wolf Lord's giant claw landed squarely on Jiang Bai.
"[Frost Claw]!"